Shloka 9
अविश्वास-निति: ब्रह्मदत्त–पूजनी-संवादः
Policy of Caution: The Brahmadatta–Pūjanī Dialogue
अनिमित्तात् सम्भवन्ति तथायज्ञ: प्रजायते,धर्मज्ञ राजा अपनी शक्तिके अनुसार उसी-उसी तरह लोकोंपर विजय प्राप्त करे, जैसे उद्भिज्ज जन्तु (वृक्ष आदि) अपनी शक्तिके अनुसार आगे बढ़ते हैं तथा जैसे वज्कीट आदि क्षुद्र जीव बिना ही निमित्तके उत्पन्न हो जाते हैं, वैसे ही बिना ही कारणके यज्ञहीन कर्तव्यविरोधी मनुष्य भी राज्यमें उत्पन्न हो जाते हैं। अत: राजाको चाहिये कि मच्छर, डाँस और चींटी आदि कीटोंके साथ जैसा बर्ताव किया जाता है, वही बर्ताव उन सत्कर्मविरोधियोंके साथ करे, जिससे धर्मका प्रचार हो
bhīṣma uvāca | animittāt sambhavanti tathāyajñaḥ prajāyate | dharmajño rājā svaśakty-anusāreṇa tathā tathā lokān vijayet, yathodbhijja-jantavaḥ (vṛkṣādayaḥ) svaśakty-anusāreṇa vardhante, tathā valmīka-kīṭādayaḥ kṣudra-jīvā animittata eva jāyante; evam eva nirhetukam yajña-hīnāḥ kartavya-virodhinaś ca manuṣyā rāṣṭre prajāyante | ataḥ rājñā maśaka-daṃśa-pipīlikā-ādi-kīṭeṣu yathā vyavahāraḥ kriyate, tathā satkarma-virodhiṣu vyavahāraḥ kartavyaḥ, yena dharmasya pracāraḥ syāt |
Bhishma disse: “Alguns seres surgem sem causa evidente; assim também vem a existir a ausência de sacrifício. O rei que conhece o dharma deve subjugar os povos do mundo na proporção de sua própria força—como as plantas e os seres udbhijja crescem conforme sua capacidade. E assim como formigas e insetos diminutos aparecem sem ocasião aparente, do mesmo modo, sem razão clara, surgem num reino homens sem sacrifício e contrários ao que deve ser feito. Portanto, o rei deve lidar com os que se opõem à boa conduta como se lida com pragas—mosquitos, borrachudos e formigas—para que o dharma seja propagado.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dharma-knowing king must govern proportionately to his strength and actively restrain those who oppose righteous conduct; tolerating anti-dharma behavior undermines yajña and social order, so corrective action is justified to protect and spread dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma advises the ruler using analogies from nature—plants growing by capacity and insects appearing seemingly without cause—to explain that duty-opposing, non-sacrificial people can arise in a kingdom, and the king should deal with them firmly to uphold dharma.